Safety device



G.'H. DAY.

SAFETY DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED mus. I915.

1.7 .11 Flc zzr 12 W/ 77158858. INVENTOR M I GfO/RGf H. DAY M BYATTORNEYS 1,'3os,W5. r p

" i Application filed January as, 1915. Serial No. 4,935.

' UNITED STATES PATENT oFEroE.

GEO GE 7E. DAY, OF SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY DEVICE:

, To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that I, GEORGE H. DAY, a cit1 zen-of the United States,residing at Southbridge,-- in the county of WVorcester and StateofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSafety Devices, of which the following 1s a specifir cation. j p

:Tliisinve'ntion relates to improvements in safety devices, and hasparticular reference to an improved deviceparticularly adapted foruseupou punches, presses, cutters, or the e. I i The leading-object ofthe present invention is thefprovision of an improved safety device forthe prevention of injury to the fingers or'hands of theworkman'operating the-machine. p

further 'objectof the invention 1s the provision of :anautomaticallyoperating safety device which shall serve to render a v thereof on theworkto be performed.

punch, cutter,press, or the like, inoperative when the hand of theworkman is in positi'or'i" to be injured thereby, but which willinsurethe Satisfactory and eflicient operation Another object of theinvention is the provisionof" an improved safety device which will innowise interfere with the usual convenience of operation of the machine,and whichwill be so essentially a part of the machine that'it will beimpossible for the operator to discardthe said safety device.

Other objects andadvantages' of my improved construction should bereadily apparent by reference to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, and it will beunderstood'that I may make any modifications 1n the specific details ofconstruction shown and described within the scope of the ap- H pendedclaims without departing from or exceeding the spirit of my invention. I

Figure I represents a side elevation of one type-of machine equippedwith my device.

;Fig. II represents an enlarged vertical sectionalview.

Fig. IIIrepresents a view similar to Fig.

II with the parts locked in operative rela- .tion'.

Fig. IV represents a sectionalview on the Specification of LettersPatent.

line IVIV of Fig. I looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. V represents a perspective view of the controllingwedge. 1

In the drawings, in which similar characters of reference are employedto denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral1 designates the head or reciprocating portion'of a punch press or thelike, suitable mechanism such as the eccentric 2 on the driven shaft 3being employed to impart vertical reciprocating movement to the head 1.It will be understood, however, that while it has beenfillustratedasoperating vertically, that it may .be arranged horizontally or at anydesired angle'without in anywise varying the operation of the parts.-

Carried by thehead 1 is the frame plate 4 having slidably mountedtherein the tool spindle 5 locked against rotation as by the pinor screw6, and normally pressed downward by the spring 7 contained within thechamber 8 of the head 1 and the chamber 9 of thespindle. This spring isformed relatively li ht to permit of ready yielding of the spindle 5while normally holding the same in depressed position, as indicated bythe full line inFig. II.

In'that form of my invention here illustrated I have shown the spindle 5as having the recesses10 formed-therein at each sidebelow which are thewide bearing shoulders 11, a suitable nut or other mechanism 12 servingto: removably secure the tool 13 on the lower end of the spindle.

v Pivoted'at 14to'the member 4 are the pair of'spindle' locking members15 connected by a spring 16 tending to draw the same into the recesses10. The purpose of the fitting ofthe members 15 into the recesses 10will be best understood by reference to Fig. III, from which'it will beseen that when the members 15 lie within the recesses they rest on theshoulders 11 referred to and serve .to transmit pressure to the toolspindle 5 from the member 4 in which said spindle is slidably mounted.

0n the other hand, should the locking members"15be prevented fromentering the recesses 10, the downward movement of the head 1 and member4 willserve to compress the spring 7 without any force other than thatof the spring being applied to the tool. This will possibly be bestunderstood by reference to the dotted line in Fig. II.

To normally hold the jaws or looking members 15 in open position and outof the recesses 10, any suitable means may be em-' 7 may be suitablysecured in desired position in any other manner, as by suspending from abracket or other over-head support, or from the driven shaft .3, or thelike. The only essential is that it be so supported that ,therei'will bea relative movement of the wedge member 17 and the jaws or lookingmembers 15 as the tool is moved toward the work. I r

This movement, as should bereadily understood by-reference to thedrawings, will cause the members 15 to slide downward along the portion18 onto the thin portion 19 of the wedge, or controlling member, thisportion 19 being sufiiciently thin to allow the jaws 15 to move togetherinto thevposition shown in Fig. III. 'On the other hand, upward movementof the head 1 and parts carried thereby will slide the jaws upward offthe thin portion19 onto the thick end 18 of the wedge, forcing the jawsapartl into open position and there retaining them, as is indicated inFigs. II and IV.

In the operation of mylimproved safety device, the position of theportion 19 of the wedge or controlling member is suitably determinedaccording to the thickness of the work to be operated on. In Fig. I, Ihave shown a thin blank 21 to be engaged by the tool 13. .Consequently,the portion 19 may be 'so arranged that the parts will reach nearlytheir lowest position before the members 15 are released to permit themto be swung inward by the spring 16 to lock the tool to move with thehead 1. t t

The purpose of this is most clearly shown in Fig. II,in which it is tobe noted that when anything much thicker than the work to be operatedon,such as a finger, which would-otherwise be injured, or a heavy tool,which would break the press or other machine, should the tool 13 bebrought, forcibly down thereon, is in position beneath the tool, thesaid finger or member will prevent any downward movement of the toolspindle g5. Downward movement of the head 1 will then merely compressthe spring 7, the members 15 being sulficiently' spaced apart to permitthe shouldered portion 11 of the spindle to pass therebetween, as isindicated in the dotted lines in. Fig. II. Consequently, by the timesaid members 15 have reached the thin portion 19 of the controllingmember or wedge, the members or locking jaws 15 will be resting againstthe outer face of the portion 11 of the spindle and will simply ridedownward on said face without carrying the tool spindle downwardsConsequently, the only pressure applied to the finger or other device,will be that of the spring 7 whose tension is sufficiently light toprevent any injury. 7 If the finger or the thick member werenot present,however,-the locking jaws 15 would reach the thin portion of the wedgebefore any pressure was brought against the tool 13 or lower portion ofthe spindle, and would securely lock the spindle tojmove with the head1, as indicated in Fig. III, in which event any desired pressure orforce could be applied to the tool through the head 1.

From the foregoing description taken in I connection with the drawings,it will be seen that with a machine equipped with my im proved safetydevice properly set, it will be impossible for an operator to crush orinjure a finger or the like, destruction of special dies on account of atool. carelessly left therebeneath when operating the machine will beprevente'd, while at thesame time the usual type of guards tending toobstruct free access to the work are eliminated, and ready access to thework is provided for.

Iclaim: we

1. In a safety device for a press, the combination with a movable presshead, of a tool supported for movement relative to the press head, meansfor yieldingly holding the tool in operative position, locking jaws forengaging the tool holder to secure the same in fixed position relativeto the head, anda wedge member having a thick portion ormally betweenthe jaws to retainthe same in inoperative position, and a' thin portiononto which the jaws may move and thus be 2. A device for the purposedescribed, including the combination with suitable pressure applyingmechanism, of a tool holder shifted into operative position before atool 7 carried by the holder is brought into engagement with the work.

mounted for yielding movementrelative to the pressure mechanism,meansfor resili- ,1 ently holding the holder in operative position, atool carried by the holder, a work the jaws when the same are inengagement vwith the thinner portion of the, wedge, and

shoulders on the tool holder for engagement between the jaws and holdthe same out of 10 with the jaws, the position of the thinner operation,substantially as and for the purpart of the controlling wedge being suchpose described.

that the jaws are held in inoperative position In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature until the tool holder and tool carried in presence oftwo witnesses.

thereby are in proximity to the work on the GEORGE H. DAY. work support,whereby yielding movement Witnesses:

of the tool holder prior to the releasing of H. K. PARSONS,

the jaws will allow the shoulders to move E. M. HALVoRsEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

